South Asia Studies
PhD Candidate
Education
B.A., Media Studies; University of Mumbai.
M.A., Philosophy; Manipal Center for Philosophy and Humanities.
Bio
I study the afterlife of extraction in South India. My work asks how distinct projects of value make environments. To that end, I follow people, places, plant and animal life at the crossing of economic and environmental security practices in Karnataka--and engage with the social worlds of residents, forest bureaucrats, and with science and technology practitioners, such as biologists, pteridologists, conservationists, and mine engineers. I am especially interested in nature writing and environmental thought in the Kannada language.
In 2021-2022, I am a Dissertation Completion Fellow with the Penn Program in Environmental Humanities (PPEH). My research has been supported by the Social Science Research Council (SSRC), the Wenner-Gren Foundation, Center for the Advanced Studies of India (CASI), and the Penn South Asia Studies Department, among others.
Research Interests
environment; post-extraction; work and state capitalism; science and technology studies; multispecies and animal studies; qualitative methods; modern South Asia.
Selected Publications
Nayak, Pooja. On Livability in the Sri Lankan Tea Plantation. Exertions. Anthropology of Work Review. September 10, 2021.
Nayak, Pooja. "'Arts of Noticing: Thinking with Doing". Field Notes. Penn Program in Environmental Humanities. April 23, 2021.
Courses Taught
Spring 2021| SAST 002-ANTH 107-URBS 122 | The City in South Asia